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Finding Identity While Independently Reading

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Finding Identity While Independently Reading

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Independent reading is a great way for students to learn and develop many skills.  The author of this article used this practice to help students with their own identity.  The author has them choose a book from a list of books about the main character finding their own places in their world.  Then he has them journal and reflect on the main character and how they would describe them.  This is a great way to practice adjectives and descriptive phrases while thinking deeply about their reading comprehension.  He then has an activity where the students use an iceberg model to describe the character’s attributes why what is seen and unseen.  After these activities, they reflect on themselves and think more deeply about their own attributes and values.  I think this is a great way to teach students to look at themselves in new ways.  I think if we can learn about others, we can sometimes learn better about ourselves, too.  I love reading and I love how this activity helps kids learn about themselves, while enjoying all a book has to offer.

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Middle school students build literacy skills and explore who they are growing to be in an independent reading unit centered on the theme of identity.

Independent reading is a consistent aspect of my eighth-grade English class that increases reading comprehension skills, builds vocabulary, and fosters a love of reading. Throughout the year I create four theme-based independent reading units, where all students read books of their choice within a common theme.

This year, I decided to design my first independent reading unit around the theme of exploring identity. This theme connects to the social and emotional learning goals I have for my adolescent students, who are growing, changing, and discovering who they are and what they believe.

Novel Choice

Students begin the unit by choosing from a list of novels that tell the story of a character learning more about who they are and how they fit into the world.

Towers Falling, by Jewell Parker Rhodes

New Kid, by Jerry Craft

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, by Leslie Connor

Dress Coded, by Carrie Firestone

Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha

The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer

Red, White, and Whole, by Rajani Larocca

Starfish, by Lisa Fipps

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen

The Deepest Breath, by Meg Grehan

Dear Martin, by Nic Stone

Booked, by Kwame Alexander

Quintessence, by Jess Redman

Maybe He Just Likes You, by Barbara Dee

Swing, by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess

The Middler, by Kirsty Applebaum

The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani

Here to Stay, by Sara Farizan

Both Can Be True, by Jules Machias

Front Desk, by Kelly Yang

They are also able to choose a book that's not on my list as long as it fits the theme. Before students make their choices, I spend time doing book talks around some books on my list and encourage those who have previously read any of the books to share their informal review with their peers. Here are some of the books that my eighth graders chose to read for this unit:

During Reading Activities

What are three adjectives that you think the main character would use to describe themselves? Use evidence from the text to explain why those adjectives connect to the character. Would you use similar adjectives to describe them? What are three adjectives would you use to describe yourself? Explain why.

What can you learn about the character based on their dialogue with others? Does the way they talk change depending on who they are talking to? If so, explain how. What might someone learn about you by listening to you talk?

What do you think the main character's values are? Use text to support your answer. Do you have similar or different values than the character? Explain.

Would you want to be friends with the main character? Explain why or why not.

While students are reading, I will periodically have them answer questions, respond to journal entries, participate in discussion prompts that encourage social and emotional learning, and explore the characters' identities as well as their own. Here are a few sample prompts:

The Iceberg Assignment

After finishing their reads, students describe the main character of the book through a visual representation of an iceberg-either digitally or on paper-using words, quotes, and images. Above the waterline, students include the descriptors that everyone in the story knows about the character. Below the waterline, students include the character's emotions, beliefs, fears, family dynamics, past experiences, hopes, etc. Students then present the icebergs to their classmates during a book talk to spark interest in other students to read the book without giving away any major plot points.
Kasey Short
Then students use the same format to create an iceberg that represents themselves and their own identity. They can share these with their peers or keep them private-between themselves and me-depending on how comfortable they feel about sharing their stories.

Final Student Reflection Questions

How do you think invisible traits of the character impacted the story? How do your invisible traits impact you?

What is a significant choice the character made? What causes them to make that decision? Would you make the same choice or a different one?

What is one word you would use to describe how the main character feels at the beginning of the book, middle of the book, and end of the book? What events within the text impact the character's emotions?

If your middle school experience was a story with sixth grade being the beginning, seventh grade being the middle, and now being the end, how would you describe your own feelings during each of those times?

At the conclusion of this free reading unit, students consider how the character, themselves, their friends, and everyone has things going on underneath the surface that might impact their interactions with others, their self-images, and the choices they make. Below are a few questions to encourage them to think through these ideas.

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Exploring Identity During Independent Reading

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Middle school students build literacy skills and explore who they are growing to be in an independent reading unit centered on the theme of identity.

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Many factors go affect a test score taken by a student.  These factors should be considered when creating a test, plus the eight factors this article suggests.  The author tells us that most students are underprepared for their tests, so if a teacher can help them build better study/test prep skills, the student will be more confident and produce better results.  The author also warns how too difficult tests can cause students to lack motivation.  Instead, with a “happy medium” it can build the students confidence while helping them remember the answers they got wrong.  Combining different testing formats can help those who do better or worse in certain areas like multiple choice or short answer.  I also like that the author suggests putting the easier questions in the beginning and avoiding trick questions.  This would help build confidence right away instead of immediately stumping a student into defeat.  I also like the idea of giving multiple tests through the class instead of one all-or-nothing test.  Asking for feedback after tests is another great way to gain understanding on how to better test one’s students.  I think all of these tips and more will help students perform better and the teacher will be pleased with the results.

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Yet a third group was stupefied, questioning the teacher's ability to write good questions. "Think the person who came up with that question really doesn't know how an orchestra works!" the Wexford Sinfonia Orchestra tweeted.

It's a trick question, Longmoor admitted, one designed to keep her students on their toes, echoing a common sentiment among test makers that such questions force students to read carefully, ensuring that they attend to substantive questions later on. But do trick questions actually work as intended?

Andrew Butler, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University, doesn't think so. Trick questions are not "productive for learning" and can easily backfire, he says. The result: confused students, artificially reduced test performance, and a murkier picture of what students actually know.

Other research on test design suggests that all too often, we're not just assessing what students know, but also getting a peek into the psychological and cognitive eddies that disrupt a student's thinking-a high-stakes test that causes anxiety can become a barometer of a student's poise, rather than their knowledge. A well-designed test is rigorous and keeps implicit bias in check, while being mindful of the role that confidence, mindset, and anxiety play in test taking. Here are eight tips to create effective tests, based on a review of more than a dozen recent studies.

1. HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP GOOD TEST PREP HABITS

Students often overestimate how prepared they are for an upcoming test, which can result in unexpected low performance, according to a 2017 study. Consider asking students to make and show you a study plan involving productive study strategies like self-quizzing, teaching the major concepts to peers, or spacing out their studying into multiple sessions instead of cramming the night before.

To help address test anxiety, researchers recommend setting aside a little time for simple writing or self-talk exercises before the test-they allow students to shore up their confidence, recall their test-taking strategies, and put the exam into perspective. In a 2019 study, for example, elementary students who spent a few minutes before a test and "silently spoke words of encouragement to themselves that were focused on effort" saw their math scores rise. And in a 2019 study of ninth graders, researchers found that a simple 10-minute expressive writing activity that reframed test anxiety as "a beneficial and energizing force" led to course failure rates being cut in half for vulnerable students.

2. FIND THE SWEET SPOT FOR RIGOR

Design tests so they're at an appropriate level of difficulty for your students. Overly difficult tests not only sap students' motivation but also increase the likelihood that students will remember the wrong answers, according to a 2018 study.

In the end, "tests that are extremely easy or difficult are essentially useless for both assessment and learning," the study concludes. Students who study moderately should get roughly 70 to 80 percent of the questions correct.

3. BUT START WITH EASY QUESTIONS

Don't start a test with challenging questions; let students ease into a test. Asking difficult questions to probe for deep knowledge is important, but remember that confidence and mindset can dramatically affect outcomes-and therefore muddy the waters of your assessment.

A 2021 study found that students were more likely to do worse on a test if difficult questions were at the beginning instead of nearer to the middle or the end of the test. "Students might be disheartened by seeing a hard question early in the test, as a signal of the general difficulty of the rest of the test," the researchers explain.

4. BE AWARE OF IMPLICIT BIAS

Question format matters. In a 2018 study, researchers analyzed test scores for 8 million students and discovered that boys tend to outperform girls on multiple-choice questions, accounting for roughly 25 percent of the gender achievement gap. Girls performed significantly better than boys on open-ended questions. Consider the mix of your testing formats: Combine traditional testing formats-multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions-with creative, open-ended assessments that can elicit different strengths and interests.

Be mindful, as well, of how cultural or racial bias and background knowledge can infiltrate the language and framing of test questions. In an infamous example, an SAT analogy question required students to select "oarsman:regatta" in response to the word pair "runner:marathon," an expectation that was fraught with classist, racial, and geographic overtones.

Other studies reveal that without a threshold of background knowledge, students fail to grasp the intent of their reading-an incorrect answer on a test may signify the failure to determine the meaning of the question, rather than measure the student's understanding of the material. Keep test questions free of unnecessary jargon, revise tests to simplify questions, and consider allowing students to ask for clarification before you start the test.

5. AVOID TRICK QUESTIONS

While it may be tempting to include trick questions to make sure that students are paying attention, they can get stuck or confused, wasting precious time and compromising the rest of the test as a result, a 2018 study concludes.

Tests aren't just tools to evaluate learning; they can also alter a student's understanding of a topic. So if students try to recall information they're unsure about, they may reconstruct it incorrectly, increasing the likelihood that they will retain false information. For example, if you asked, "What was George Washington's goal with writing the Emancipation Proclamation?" some students may commit it to memory and connect the wrong president to the seminal historical document.

6. BREAK TESTS APART

Instead of a single high-stakes test, consider breaking it into smaller low-stakes tests that you can spread throughout the school year. That strategy alleviated test anxiety for 72 percent of middle and high school students, according to a 2014 study.

The likely reason? When students take high-stakes tests, their cortisol levels-a biological marker for stress-rise dramatically, impeding their ability to concentrate and artificially lowering test scores, a 2018 study found. Stress is a normal part of test-taking, but there are kinds of stress that should be avoided, such as whether the student thinks they'll be able to finish.

7. TRY TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF TIME LIMITS

Time limits are unavoidable, but you can mitigate their pernicious effects on anxiety levels. "Evidence strongly suggests that timed tests cause the early onset of math anxiety for students across the achievement range," explains Jo Boaler, mathematics professor at Stanford. This extends to other subjects as well, according to a 2020 study, which also found that timed tests disproportionately harm students with disabilities.

If a student aces most of the test but then gets the last few questions wrong or leaves them blank, it's possible that they panicked as the time limit approached-or knew the information intimately but simply couldn't finish the test. It may be helpful to time yourself taking the test and cut a few questions so that it's clearly shorter than your class period.

8. PERIODICALLY, LET STUDENTS WRITE THEIR OWN TESTS

Sometimes, less design is better: The research suggests that one effective strategy, at least periodically, is to ask students to write their own test questions.

In a 2020 study, students who generated test questions scored 14 percentage points higher than students who simply reviewed the material. "Question generation promotes a deeper elaboration of the learning content," explains psychology professor Mirjam Ebersbach. "One has to reflect what one has learned and how an appropriate knowledge question can be inferred from this knowledge." Model question-asking for students -highlighting your own examples first-and then teach them how to ask good questions. They may start with simple factual questions, but with enough practice, they can propose questions that start with "Explain" or that dig deeper into a topic with how and why questions.

9. AFTER-TEST STRATEGIES

Beyond test design, there's the important question of what happens after a test. All too often, students receive a test, glance at the grade, and move on. But that deprives them, and the teacher, of a valuable opportunity to address misconceptions and gaps in knowledge. Don't think of tests as an endpoint to learning. Follow up with feedback, and consider strategies like " exam wrappers "- short metacognitive writing activities that ask students to review their performance on the test and think about ways they could improve in future testing scenarios.

You might also rethink your policy around test retakes. While students can certainly take unfair advantage of some test-retaking policies, there are innovative approaches that preserve the integrity of the initial test while allowing students to recover partial credit for materials they haven't successfully learned. Set clear limits, pose a different set of questions-or allow partial credit for demonstrating deep knowledge of questions they missed on the test-or ask students to reflect on why they missed earlier questions and what they can do to improve in the future, teachers recommend.

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How to Design Better Tests, Based on the Research

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Yet a third group was stupefied, questioning the teacher's ability to write good questions. "Think the person who came up with that question really doesn't know how an orchestra works!" the Wexford Sinfonia Orchestra tweeted.

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This article is about teachers putting students’ emotional health first.  I think this is a wonderful idea and needs to be more widely spread.  But many students don’t know how to manage their emotions.  The author talks about ways to help guide kids in controlling and managing their emotions.  The school mentioned looked for ways to make emotionally free and calming areas for their classroom.  They named the room the Brave Room and was to be filled with calming sounds, toys and sensory tools.  No punishment or exclusion would be part of the room, it was a room free of expectation.  They said that students gained trust and helped them feel safe.  I think this is a lesson teachers and schools can take and use to help kids of their own.  Many times a young child has an emotion without a way to nurture it.  This school is helping kids feel comfortable enough to know they need time and space to sort out their feelings, then they can return to class refreshed and ready to learn.

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The author in this article recommends keeping track of the praise you give in a classroom in regards to the ratio between praise and reprimands.  Studies show that this will cause improvement in grades and behavior.  In other words, more praise = more participation.  Further in the article, it reports that correcting students rarely improves that certain behavior, where positive reinforcement highly encourages positive behavior.  Teens especially can benefit from praise.  The article doesn’t name a specific ratio as being the sweet spot, but it also warns of overdoing the good.  So, although it’s a little confusing, a classroom can benefit way more from praise than discipline.  I’ve never thought of actually charting this, but the article says its a great way to keep track.  If positive remarks really bring forth better behavior, I think it is in every teacher’s best interest to track their own remarks and change accordingly.  Who, as humans, doesn’t thrive with some good feedback?

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The Necessity of Finding More Ways to Praise

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Encouraging students is not enough, says a new study—you actually have to raise your ratio of praise to reprimands dramatically, and that might mean keeping track.

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While many kids are struggling with learning from home, some kids are doing very well with remote learning during Covid and beyond.  Mostly those who are shy, hyperactive, and creative students are among those thriving.  This has many wondering what is contributing to their success.  Is it the flexibility or the lack of distractions and social pressures?  With the flexibility that remote learning offers, kids can take breaks when needed or go at their own pace.  They also get a break from the constants of being continually on the go at school.  Teachers and students are reportedly less stressed than in school.  I think it’s a combination of being more comfortable in their own environment at home as well as being self paced.  I can’t name a single person when I was in school who had enough sleep of enough hours in the day to finish their course load along with extra curricular activities.  If remote learning is working for some kids, that is wonderful.  Everyone thrives in different areas and in different ways.  Maybe remote learning is the future of education?

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All school year, Montenique Woodard's seventh period, her last class of the day, has been her hardest. "I feel like I don't know what to do with them," she said of her middle school science class when Edutopia first talked to her back in the fall. One boy in particular, the "class clown," was a persistent challenge, and his behavior influenced his 23 peers, 15 of whom are boys.

But reconnecting months later during the coronavirus closures, Woodard shared some surprising news: the same boy was "thriving" during remote learning. "I think not having those everyday distractions in school has really allowed for kids like him to focus on the work and not necessarily all the social things going on because some kids can't separate that out," said Woodard, who teaches in Washington, D.C.

We've been hearing that a lot. Increasingly, teachers in our audience are reporting that a handful of their students-shy kids, hyperactive kids, highly creative kids-are suddenly doing better with remote learning than they were doing in the physical classroom. "It's been awesome to see some of my kids finally find their niche in education," said Holli Ross, a first-year high school teacher in northern California, echoing the sentiments of dozens of teachers we've heard from.

That's not to say it's the norm. Many students are struggling to adapt to remote learning: Digital access and connectivity remain a pervasive equity issue; stay-at-home orders have magnified existing problems in familial dynamics; and, universally, teachers and students grapple with how to replicate the engagement and discourse from an in-person classroom.

But it's not a tiny handful, either, and the unplanned break from the physical classroom may be bringing to light hidden reasons some kids struggle while others succeed. In the responses we gathered from our educators, we found recurring themes-like social situations and the inflexible bell schedule-that simply don't work well for all kids. For a few of the teachers, at least, it's inspired them to consider making permanent changes when they return to the classroom.

The Benefits of Self-Pacing

On average, the typical high school student starts school at 8:00 a.m. While school schedules differ by district, many students then face back-to-back classes with little reprieve. But during the pandemic, school schedules have suddenly become more fluid, allowing students more choice over when and how they do their school work.

"I think a few of mine are doing really well getting a taste of more independence," said Lauren Huddleston, a middle school English teacher in Memphis, Tennessee. "They're taking ownership a bit more because they're no longer under the micromanagement of the school day."
©Nora Fleming
This flexibility to make their own hours is also giving students a chance to exercise, take breaks, or even be bored, all of which research shows is beneficial. High school English teacher Ashlee Tripp speculated these kids were doing well because, "they enjoy the freedom to work at their own pace and decide how they want their day to look," and students seem to agree.

"The reason I enjoy online learning is because of the opportunity to structure my day efficiently," wrote a 10th grade student in English teacher Katie Burrows-Stone's class survey. "I am able to workout, relax, and complete the work in a timely manner, with no distractions."

Time to Rethink the Overextended Kid

During the school day, many students remain constantly on the go. Lunches are often filled with club meetings. After school, many participate in extracurriculars or sports-often to impress colleges-or work a part-time job. On average, high school students spend a minimum of seven and a half hours a week on homework at night.

After enrichment activities were canceled due to shelter-in-place orders, our teachers say they also saw a difference in some students' performance.

"For my students, there are some that are thriving. I think it is partly because so many things like sports and social activities are no longer happening and they have more time than they ever had to work on school work," said Kasey Short, a middle school English and social studies teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, by way of explanation.

Research has found jam-packed schedules can be a significant challenge for a child to juggle: Students who are over-committed, especially if they feel obligated to take certain courses or participate in activities, are more likely to experience unhealthy anxiety levels.

"This has given me so much pause about what we are doing in education: Is our current model way too much? Why would anyone need to have seven classes? Why does the school day need to be so long?" said Rosie Reid, a high school English teacher and the 2019 California Teacher of the Year. "I can't say enough about how this closure has changed my entire approach to teaching because I see how it has been an amazing respite for so many students."

Lowering the Stakes

Other teachers point to the changing academic expectations during the pandemic as a causal link. Given the structure of home learning-and pervasive equity issues-many school systems have encouraged teachers to be more lenient with coursework and grading.

"I think a huge part of [some students' work improving] is that we've dramatically ratcheted down the total workload in order to make tasks accessible rather than overwhelming," said Mark Gardner, high school English teacher in Camas, Washington.

According to a Pew Research Center study, teens cite academic pressure as the top pressure they face, with 61 percent of teens reporting they feel the heat to achieve at a certain level academically. Teachers too, have also been under increasing scrutiny in the last decade-plus to prepare students to hit benchmarks on standardized testing, pressure that trickles down to students, who are twice as likely to report unhealthy levels of stress during the school year compared to the summer.

"One student told me he likes remote learning better because he no longer feels the extreme pressure of failing," said Cathleen Beachboard, a middle school English teacher in Fauquier County, Virginia, who says other students in her class have expressed similar sentiments. "He says that now that the pressure of state testing is off, he feels he can really learn."

Reducing the Chatter

Though we've seen many comments-from both students and teachers-about missing the in-person connections and relationships at school, for some students, school socialization may be fraught with anxiety, our teachers suggest.

"Students who have been victims of physical or verbal bullying while at school are likely to be relieved to be home in a safe space," said Elena Spathis, high school Spanish teacher in Hillsdale, New Jersey.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2017, at least 20 percent of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school. Students who are the most bullied have also been found to have lower academic performance than their non-bullied peers.

For other students, socialization at school may not be negative per se, just distracting or intimidating. Nearly a third of teens have reported feeling pressure to "look good" or "fit in socially" at school, which can influence their participation and focus in class. "The online environment may allow for voices to be heard without the added bit of social anxiety," said Blake Harvard, a psychology teacher in Madison, Alabama.

Getting Enough Z's

Lastly, teachers commented that the difference they've observed in some students' performance may be tied, simply, to sleep. Like many teachers-and workers across the country-most students are no longer waking up to a very early alarm clock.

"I have the time to sleep eight hours a night every night [now]," said Ingrid, a high school junior in California, when asked what she likes about remote learning.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 8-10 hours a night for teens ages 12-18 and 12 hours for children ages 6-12, a 2018 study of high school students across 30 states found more than 70 percent of students were not getting enough sleep during the school year.

Though the long-standing debate over school start times never seems to end, when the Seattle school district delayed school start times by an hour at one school in 2016-2017, researchers found students' sleep increased and grades improved.

"There are kids who have a hard time getting to class at 8:30, but they might do really well getting their work done at 10:30 at night or even 10:30 in the morning. They just need a couple extra hours," said Ross.
Youki Terada contributed research insights to this article.

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Why Are Some Kids Thriving During Remote Learning?

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All school year, Montenique Woodard's seventh period, her last class of the day, has been her hardest. "I feel like I don't know what to do with them," she said of her middle school science class when Edutopia first talked to her back in the fall.

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Not all parents look at project-based-learning as a positive, as it requires more work to be done at home.  But, because it is a great way to learn, the author points out ways to help make it easier on students and families and increase the quality of these projects.  First, communication with families is important.  Making sure the projects line up with the lessons in class is crucial.  This way students will be more engaged and authentic.  Detailed rubrics also help clarify the lessons to be learned and what is expected.  I agree with the author that a lot of parents will probably groan internally when they hear that a “project” is involved.  Many parents will draw on their own past experiences, but that might not be what is expected from you was a teacher.  I love the idea of more communication and being forthcoming with all the expectations. Family engagement is crucial in the success of a student, especially with project based learning.  I love the idea of projects, so these tips will be great to remember.

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Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Teachers can use these handy talking points to move parents from being skeptical about PBL to "why didn't I get to do this in school?"

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It's understandable that some parents and guardians are skeptical about project-based learning. Flashbacks may come to mind of arts-and-crafts projects that required more attention, time, and resources from parents at home than hands-on learning in school.

I can relate-I recall needing to go out and buy expensive foam pumpkins for my kids in order to "dress" them as a character from a book they had read around Halloween. While some families probably found this fun, I'm not sure how much my kids got from the experience in terms of developing literacy skills.

Communicating That PBL Is Different From 'Doing Projects'

What's the alternative? We know today that high-quality project-based learning (PBL) has a strong evidence base and that it doesn't look like what I've described above. However, to build a PBL culture in your classroom and school community, it's helpful to have communication strategies to help parents and other community members see why PBL is a solid instructional strategy that will set their students up for future success. It's not so different from having the right vocabulary and rationale to explain shifts in math and reading instruction to parents, especially when those instructional changes look quite different from what parents experienced in school.

The quality and design of projects matter, of course, so the most important first step is making sure your projects are aligned to essential design elements. Research has shown that projects should be central to your lessons, authentic, and engaging, and should foster collaboration and allow for student reflection and feedback.

Be prepared to explain to parents the difference between project-based learning and "doing projects." In trying to understand PBL, parents will be drawing on their own experience as students, and this may have involved a lot of crafting projects like the one described above. PBL practitioners use the term dessert project to describe projects that are mainly for fun and that happen at the end of a unit, after the learning has already happened. In true project-based learning, the project should be the main course and really drive the learning.

Parents as well as students will see this distinction more clearly if you have designed your rubrics for projects around key learning standards, including those assessed on an end-of-course exam such as an AP exam. In this way, parents can see the connection between the projects in class and the learning targets ultimately assessed in more traditional ways.

A Few Talking Points

Helping families learn about these elements and the role of a project in your curriculum is a good move. When you're ready to start communicating about the methods you're using in the classroom, here are some points you can share:

PBL allows students to practice skills and competencies that are valued in college and work, and promote successful engagement in civic life. These include solving unstructured problems, collaborating, and communicating well with others.

PBL ensures that students are leading their learning and carrying the cognitive load in the classroom, which is often a more engaging and effective way to learn, especially if you incorporate student voice and choice in your project design.

Project-based approaches support student success on Advanced Placement exams and other key assessments that students take today. Recent research by Lucas Education Research, Edutopia's sister organization, found that students in PBL classrooms outperformed students in traditional classrooms on AP science and government and politics exams, as well as other assessments across grades and subjects.

Rigorous, engaging projects allow students multiple access points to show what they know and can do, and to engage in deeper learning. For students who need an extra challenge, the sky is the limit in a well-designed project. They often challenge themselves-crafting an oral argument in an AP U.S. Government class that sounds like the work of an actual attorney, or meeting professional specifications with an engineering design project. Students who need scaffolding can take on a role that includes extra supports while still doing work that is cognitively complex.

Family engagement supports student success, and project-based learning is a great way to engage parents and guardians. Parents may be able to lend their professional expertise. For example, I've had parents who were appellate attorneys serve as my chief justice when we were doing a moot court. But you can also engage them simply as important figures in their students' lives so that students can really see themselves and their families in the curriculum. For example, students might interview a family member as part of a project. In a PBL-based AP Environmental Science class, students can work with family members to examine their ecological footprint. In an elementary-level science curriculum, students can consider family and community needs as they design a local garden.

Scaling up project-based learning-creating bigger and better project opportunities for students, ones that may have them getting outside the school or taking on interdisciplinary challenges-can be challenging, and parents can be strong champions for the work you do, helping school leaders and other teachers understand PBL's value.

Once parents understand the benefits of rigorous, high-quality PBL, they may say, "Why didn't I get to do this in school?" rather than "What am I expected to buy now?"

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Getting Parents Excited About Project-Based Learning

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Project-Based Learning (PBL) Teachers can use these handy talking points to move parents from being skeptical about PBL to "why didn't I get to do this in school?" monkeybusinessimages / iStock It's understandable that some parents and guardians are skeptical about project-based learning.

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How do you keep students engaged in learning?  By asking meaningful, quality questions to engage the learner.  This author’s favorite is, “How do you know…”. This question asks the student to think deeper and reflect on what they’re learning and doing while fostering higher levels of thinking.  Sometimes the answer to this will be different and that’s ok.  While giving these answers in class, it helps others learn to see things in a different way.  If they are paying attention and attentive in class, they will learn from the students around them.  This also will help students use logic instead of simply memorization.  I like the way he engages his students by asking them to think more than what the answer to a question is.  How did you find it?  Are you sure it’s correct?  I think this will also help students gain confidence in backing up their ideas in the future.

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Imagine you're back in school: math class. Your teacher has a mathematical expression on a whiteboard and would like a student to come up and solve the problem. You volunteer, because you already know the answer. It's a complex equation, requiring you to multiply, divide, add, and subtract. You scribble down the correct answer, turning around to walk back to your desk, when your teacher stops you in your tracks and says, "Don't forget to show your work!"

Asking high-quality questions is essential in engaging students and sustaining deep learning. In certain subjects, it's extremely common for teachers to ask students to explain how they came to a certain conclusion, but it took me a while to incorporate this concept into my Social Studies and Reading classes.

There are several useful techniques to generate questions (see the Question Formulation Technique, this site on Socratic Seminars, this Questioning Toolkit, and this article about other types of questions). I would add one specific question to the top of the list of techniques that deepen thinking and enhance engagement: asking students "How do you know...?"

Asking this follow-up question after a student provides an answer prompts deeper thinking in a number of ways. Students have to not only consider evidence and alternative answers but also support their thinking. It moves the initial question from a place of simple recall or recognition into higher levels of thinking. Additionally, it helps me as the instructor to ensure that my students understand the concept and can justify their answers.

An Example From My Classroom

While using a projector to show students a map of the Middle East, I ask the question, "What is the relative location of Afghanistan?" A student answers, stating that Afghanistan is next to Pakistan. I instruct the class to discuss with their elbow partners, deciding whether they agree or disagree, as well as how they know for sure that the answer provided is either correct or incorrect.

I ask a second student, "Do you agree with [Student 1]'s answer, and if so, how do you know?" The second student responds that the map shows Pakistan and Afghanistan are next to each other. I push further: "But how do you know that it's the relative location that we are talking about?" The second student has the light bulb moment: "Oh," they respond, "because relative location is about what's nearby, and Afghanistan is near Pakistan."

I return to Student 1 and ask if that's what they were thinking when they answered and if they have anything else they'd like to add. The first student agrees and adds, "I could also say that Afghanistan is northwest of Pakistan, instead of nearby."

Drawing In the Whole Class

I have now engaged two students directly with this conversation, and all students indirectly. At the same time, I've made the rest of the class aware that they need to know this, too, and reviewed both the definition and the application of the concept of relative location. This significantly increases the amount of participation and engagement-especially if paired with something like Think Pair Share or elbow partners-and helps me formatively assess more students. It also establishes the norm that students need to be actively listening and paying attention to their peers' answers, because they might be the one to get that follow-up question next.

This technique can also help students use logic rather than memorization and find relationships between concepts, as in this example:

Let's say I ask my class which came first: the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Student 1 says Pearl Harbor was first. "It was in 1941 and the bombs were in 1945," they say.

I push further: "Yes, but without looking at the dates, how do you know that Pearl Harbor had to be before the atomic bombs?" A second student chimes in, "Oh, because Pearl Harbor got the U.S. into World War II, and the atomic bombs ended the war."

Students worked to combine prior knowledge and current knowledge to create an answer to that question. This type of work requires them to use logic and find relationships between details, rather than simply memorizing information. You can also use "How do you know?" to engage students in some historical detective work. Present a hypothetical and ask them to determine if the scenario is possible or impossible. For example, "John turned 45 in 2021 but claims to remember watching the moon landing on TV live as it happened. Is that possible? How do you know?"

And during reading activities, try employing this technique by asking students to identify where in the text they can find support for their answer to a question. When asking review questions about a text that students have been working with, you can encourage them to explain what tipped them off to the question's answer. This allows students to take the lead in identifying where to find information that supports their thinking, like page numbers, and key parts of the text that offer clues, like the chapter header.

While not earth-shatteringly new, complex, or profound, adding this simple follow-up question into my repertoire is something that I need to remind myself to do on a regular basis. Asking "How do you know?" slows down the pace of my inquiry in the classroom but generates additional depth from students' answers, increasing engagement and participation.

This is the kind of questioning, visible thinking, student-to-student dialogue, and justification of answers that the Danielson evaluation rubric calls for in Domains 3b and 3c-it's well worth the time.

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A Question Teachers Should Ask as Often as Possible

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Imagine you're back in school: math class. Your teacher has a mathematical expression on a whiteboard and would like a student to come up and solve the problem. You volunteer, because you already know the answer. It's a complex equation, requiring you to multiply, divide, add, and subtract.

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I cannot stress how important I think this is.  Teachers need to leave their personal political beliefs out of the classroom in order for students to make these decisions, unbiased, on their own.  The author says it is important to send word home when politics will be discussed in class and to make clear that as the teacher, you will remain neutral.  The author also recommends removing political affiliations from social media and any other public forum so as to not conflict with work.  Use fact and not opinion, and especially from reputable sources.  Otherwise they shouldn’t be shared in class.  Teachers should open the floor for questions and comments and the author even suggests a way for students to submit anonymous questions and comments.  The author also suggests inviting speakers to the class from both sides of the political spectrum.  I think these are great ways to keep a classroom neutral from the biased influences of politics.  A student should be free to make their own opinions without the pressures of others.  In society today, it is important for people to feel safe in their political views without the pressures from the other side telling them they’re wrong.  Students are so impressionable and don’t need the added stress from school.

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5 Tips for Becoming an Apolitical Teacher

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Remaining politically neutral in the classroom opens up space for students to debate and discover their own beliefs.

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This teacher realized that while students need feedback and reviewing on many assignments, all the feedback didn’t need to come from her.  According to her, this helped improve community in the classroom as well as engagement.  Students need to feel heard and understood, but also safe in doing so.  So, she created a system to enable students to feel valued and empowered while having their work reviewed.  She pushes for reflection by asking peers to define next steps the other student needs to improve, along with specific feedback, all while being kind.  Working in smaller groups, works better so they don’t have the added stress of presenting to the whole classroom.  I also appreciate that she asks each reviewer to include something they like about the person’s assignment.  I think this is a great way for students to learn from each other and work together for collective improvement.

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Jamie Kobs knows the value of giving students timely and meaningful feedback, but she often struggled with the volume of incoming assignments. Then she discovered a solution: her students. Feedback didn't always need to come directly from her, the veteran high school English teacher realized. In fact, if she taught kids the skills to deliver constructive, focused feedback, it could be equally meaningful coming from fellow classmates.

"Besides relieving me of some of the pressure, creating a classroom culture where students give each other feedback has helped me increase engagement and build community," Kobs says. "Having more frequent interactions among students builds rapport and trust and disrupts the idea that I'm the only expert in the room."

A high-functioning feedback culture also frees up teachers to give more low-stakes assignments, creates more opportunities for students to practice, and democratizes the creative process-replacing the top-down dynamics of more typical classrooms and making kids an equal and accountable part of learning outcomes for everyone. Kids who frequently draw, create podcasts, or write fiction with the expectation that their peers will be consuming it, and who are themselves expected to provide useful feedback, are more likely to be attuned to the elements that make art or stories truly outstanding and "feel more seen, heard, valued, and, consequently, engaged in their work," according to Kobs.

But the middle and high school years can be a difficult time for students when it comes to peer evaluation-some initial reluctance is normal. Research shows that adolescents are hypersensitive to criticism, and when they feel judged, they can become self-conscious, stressed, or withdrawn. Other students may feel tentative or shy about giving feedback to peers they admire, and for English language learners, the process might feel especially daunting.

Developing a culture of feedback must therefore happen in tandem with creating a safe and supportive classroom. By scaffolding the feedback process in a classroom where kids feel valued and empowered-the effort requires "consistent modeling, repetition, and a commitment to sharing the feedback with students," says Kobs-even teens can become more comfortable with the act of giving and receiving peer feedback.

Here are six considerations for creating a culture of feedback in the classroom.

Encourage reflection, not correction: Consider limiting feedback cycles to work products that are not highly structured, or that require granular feedback related to syntax, grammar, and spelling. When students in Mark Gardner's high school English class provide feedback, he encourages them to focus on collectively reflecting, not correcting, each other's work. Very few incoming high school students have mastered the conventions of writing well enough to be reliable copy editors, he says. Rather than correcting syntax errors, Gardner wants his students to focus on providing feedback that outlines clear next steps that peers can take toward improvement.

"My students focus on idea development, clarity, and arrangement to make sense of the writer's text," he explains. He asks students to write full sentences in their observations like, "I am confused about who 'they' are in this sentence" or "I like how you repeated keywords from your hook here in your conclusion."

Assign feedback partners: To prevent students from worrying about evaluating friends, high school history and government teacher Benjamin Barbour recommends assigning partners instead of letting kids choose who to critique in the class. Once students are working in pairs, consider allowing them to share feedback with each other rather than with the whole class, making it a generally less stressful experience for kids.

Offer choices: Including an element of choice in the feedback process can build student agency and motivation, writes educator Dr. Catlin Tucker in her blog. A peer feedback choice board, for example, allows students to select prompts that provide direction and context for delivering feedback that's "specific, meaningful, and kind," Tucker notes.
Courtesy of Dr. Catlin Tucker
For English language learners, teachers can create choice boards "with sentence frames to provide students with additional support as they give each other focused feedback," Tucker writes. "For example, under the box labeled 'Greatest Strength,' teachers could rework that as a series of fill-in-the-blank statements. The strongest part of this draft was ______. I thought ______ was done well. I really liked ______."

Deliver feedback that is specific: Emphasize the idea that criticism must be both constructive and specific in nature in order to be helpful. English language arts specialist Katherine James says that students often leave general or vague feedback like "I really enjoyed your story."

Instead, encourage kids to be focused and specific with their feedback. "Give examples of what specific feedback sounds like-for example: I really liked your simile 'the rain hit the pavement like arrows' because it helped me visualize the setting," rather than the more general 'I liked your description,'" James says.

Specificity counts in oral feedback too, and scaffolding student responses is equally important. After Socratic seminars or academic discussions in her classroom, Kobs directs students to "give a specific example of something someone else said during this discussion that resonated with you," and "explain why it stuck with you."

Model feedback, and suggest sentence starters: During the brainstorming stage of a personal narrative assignment in her high school English classroom, Kobs's students pitch ideas via Flipgrid videos. Students then watch and respond to the pitches of two classmates with the help of sentence starters.

To ensure that the feedback cycle is targeted and productive, Kobs and her colleagues "model both the pitch and the response steps with videos of our own" and provide sentence starters to help kids focus on the most important aspects of the piece and clarify how to deliver their feedback. Sentence starters might prompt students to say, "I didn't get the part about...," pose questions or suggestions out of curiosity like "What happened next?" or "Maybe you can try...," or make connections: "Something similar happened to me when..."

Prompt deeper engagement: Consider trying an "I like, I wish, I wonder" framework as another way to help focus students on content rather than grammar and spelling errors. It encourages them to interact creatively with their peers' work, says James, and encourages critical thinking as students try to provide meaningful feedback.

"When reading each other's work and giving feedback, they must discuss one thing they liked about the other person's work, one thing they wished that person had done differently, and one thing they wondered about (for example, how a main character felt about or reacted to an event)," she explains.

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Teaching Kids to Give and Receive Quality Peer Feedback

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Building a classroom culture of feedback requires scaffolding and a safe, nurturing environment, but it's worth the effort, teachers say.

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The author of this article, a math teacher who has been an educator for 19 years argues that giving a 0 for a missed assignment should be a thing of the past.  Her example of a student with 15 85% grades in the grade book is too heavily affected by the 0.  She didn’t want the students to lack motivation because there was no way to escape the affects of the 0 compared to their average.  She changed her floor to be at 50, so the student can actually redeem themselves, where with a 0, makes it almost impossible to climb from.  This way, she weighted the missing work so her student can climb back.  She said the 50, “allows for redemption; the K does not.”  I think this is a great way to give a grade worth the missing assignment while leaving room for improvement.

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Teachers can rethink their grading practices to make them more mathematically fair for students and allow for redemption for a missed assignment.

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This article focuses on student-efficacy and how it improves the students’ morale.  The author suggests making a short list of duties for the student to finish throughout a designated timeline.  This could take place over a day or week, for example.  A microtrack is usually four to eight steps that are clearly defined to accomplish a goal in learning, or the learning outcome.  Tasks are listed to clearly define the steps needed to be completed.  These can be listed in a planner, or simply on a sticky note.  Other parts of the microtrack include the success criteria and ultimately the learning outcome.  The student is confident in knowing the process and can accept ownership and flexibility over the tasks.  Following up with reflection enables the student to connect with the students and help them improve for the following day or week.

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Guiding students to create lists of learning objectives and what they need to do to meet those goals on time can boost their independence.

One weekend morning, I added "sweeping" to my chore list and then marked it off. It wasn't originally on the list, and I had already done it, but I wanted credit and acknowledgment that I had completed the task. I feel so on top of it when my list is long and nearly everything is marked off. I feel capable and accomplished.

Our students feel the same way. When they know what the task is and have a clear pathway to get from point A to point B, they're more likely not only to get to point B but to feel good about the journey. It increases their self-efficacy. Student self-efficacy regarding learning is their belief that they can do it. In the classroom, we can build student confidence by building opportunities to track their progress and make choices about their learning.

Consider Microtracking

Microtracking is using a weekly or even daily checklist for students that states what they're trying to achieve in a set time period with a set learning outcome and two to three explicit success criteria. A microtrack is typically four to eight items long, and all the steps lead to accomplishing the learning outcome.

The teacher shares the learning outcome, the success criteria, and the tasks for completion. The first and very brief task is for students to use a defined structure or a template to determine their tracking list for the day or week.

The template has three parts: (1) the learning outcome, (2) the success criteria, and (3) the tasks. The tasks are the focus and the immediate, tangible next steps. A quarter sheet of paper or a sticky note is perfect for this. If the list will encompass more than one day, have a designated spot on the wall where students can place the sticky notes when they leave the classroom. They can grab their notes on the way in the next day and get started.

Microtracking offers students the satisfaction of knowing what they've completed toward a goal at the end of a learning period. It also gives them confidence about what's next. This eliminates students' waiting for the teacher to give instructions and allows them ownership over the learning process. The teacher can scaffold the list for any grade level.

Offer Choices

Give students the opportunity to make choices or learning pathways as part of the microtracking. Offer flexibility about where they get their content, how they practice or apply the content, and how they demonstrate their understanding. These choices are called learning pathways because students have some autonomy over the items on their task list, which is their path to learning. Increase and scaffold the amount of options over time. Starting small with one choice will guide students to make choices that support their learning.

How to practice or apply the content is a strong place to start with choice, because the student can determine a direct correlation between their meeting the success criteria and how they practiced or applied it. If they weren't able to meet the criteria directly, then they have choices about what they can try instead. For a math assignment, for example, they can try practicing division facts in an online game or partnering with a classmate to review with flash cards.

The teacher is there to support this process of choice by posing thoughtful questions to help the student determine if their pathway is working for them. There are a few subtle and healthy culture-of-learning components built into this:

First, the student isn't alone in the journey. They're trying to meet established success criteria.

Second, learning is a process, and everyone in the class will have a different journey either by choice or by need.

Finally, errors and growth are simply a normal part of learning.

By normalizing the process of learning and tracking the movement toward the outcome, students have a direct investment and ownership over their progress.

Add Reflection

Microtracking is particularly effective when students use it with reflection. Using an exit ticket is an easy way to help students determine if the choices they made support their learning, and it acknowledges both success and where to start the next day. Brief and efficient check-ins with small groups or individuals midway through the class will further support achieving their success criteria.

Students can gauge if their learning pathway is supporting their learning or if they need to make a change. It can also mean adjusting the learning outcome or success criteria to fit the student. They may be ready to demonstrate understanding and move on to alternative tasks, or they may need more time than that class period or week to complete something. The student and teacher agree on appropriate adjustments.

Microtracking connects with the students' involvement in the learning process. Teachers can set the students up for feeling successful in their learning by offering them an active role versus taking the more traditional passive approach. Learning happens with the student instead of to the student. They get to own it because they're directly involved.

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How to Use Microtracking to Promote Student Autonomy

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Guiding students to create lists of learning objectives and what they need to do to meet those goals on time can boost their independence. One weekend morning, I added "sweeping" to my chore list and then marked it off.

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This year, more than usual, needs to be an exceptional year at helping students to learn, due to covid and its many repercussions.  Educators need to focus on the student - the learned - instead of themselves.  They need to view the classroom through the “lens” of the student; how can they learn best?  I love how this author talks about recognizing and appreciating the academic asset each student brings to the classroom, each being unique.  The author also stresses on focusing on moving forward in learning, not the setbacks of what was lost last year.   This keeps all students working together toward a common goal.  I really appreciate how this article acknowledges the differences of students while finding a way for them to work together.

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A look at three steps schools can take this year to ensure that students are deeply engaged in their learning.